The Blue Pixel Guide to Travel Photography: Perfect Photos Every Time

Have you ever bought something that says "one size fits all" and it fits? Yeah, me too. Something that attempts to appear to everyone in reality appeals to no one. This book was designated by Peachpit as "beginner/intermediate" but I found most of it too difficult for me as a budding photographer and those things I did learn from the book probably would have frustrated an intermediate user. When I think "beginner", I want to be walked through the very basics. Schloss started the book expecting that you had a small arsenal of photography equipment. This book isn't for someone who has a $300 digital camera, but someone who has a much more advanced digital camera, light meters, multiple lenses and a bunch of other stuff I didn't understand.

This book is geared towards someone who already has a photography kit and wants to learn tips and tricks on how to travel with their equipment. For example, Schloss mentions you should ship your clothes to your destination and then carry your camera equipment on the plane. Clothes can easily be replaced, camera equipment can't. This advice is not for someone that is bringing the family digital camera on a trip to Grand Canyon.

My major concern with the book is that if someone owns several thousand dollars of camera equipment, they probably wouldn't be considered a beginning user. Maybe it's just me, but I would not spend $2000 in equipment and then pick up a beginner's book. I'd first learn how to use professional equipment and then buy an advanced book.

In spite of my complaints about the book, I found parts of it helpful. There were a few pages about composing a photo using a "grid" which I had read in "iPhoto: The Missing Manual." Other tips regarding photographing individuals or sports events required you to have a quiver of lenses to choose from to get the right shot.

A nice feature of the book is that it was visually stunning. Every few pages had amazing pictures taken from around the world. These photographers clearly are masters of their craft and a advanced digital photographer will probably be reminded of how to set an f-stop or how much light to let in for a particular photograph. We beginners just like looking at pretty pictures!

This is not a beginner book and intermediate users will only benefit if they have a set of professional or at least "prosumer" camera equipment and lenses. That person isn't me, so I found the book of very little help.

Pros: Pretty pictures
Cons: The pretty pictures require several thousand dollars worth of equipment.

Title: Blue Pixel Guide to Travel Photography
Author: David Schloss
Publisher: Peachpit Press (November 7, 2005)
Paperback: 215 pages
ISBN: ISBN: 0-321-35677-2
List Price: US $24.99


Blue Pixel was founded with one mission: to have leading digital
photographers teach their craft from an unbiased, real-world
perspective. Each of the contributing photographers for the
Blue Pixel Guide to Travel Photography have from 20 to 40
years of photography experience (photojournalism, commercial,
teaching).

The book is divided into 7 chapters. Just about every page
has at least one color photograph (with red colored descriptive text) to further explain the topic being discussed. Most pages also have a blue colored text tips section in which the authors/contributors give their real-world experience
(tricks of the trade).

Chapter 1 describes how to choose the right gear for your trip.
Selecting the right camera (point and shoot versus Digital SLR), lens, memory cards, backup hardware (laptop, mobile hard drives). This chapter has the best explanation of lens aperture I have ever read.

Chapter 2 describes what to take and what to leave home for your
trip. Some examples are: power adapters, secondary batteries, charges, tripods, flashes, manuals, filters, etc.). Considerations are discussed on the length and type of trip is planned.

Chapter 3 describes preparing for your photographic adventure.
Here the author emphasizes the importance of researching the
geographical location, weather, customs, language, and local events of your destination before you leave for your trip to maximize your photographic experiences. "A Photographic
Journey is 80 percent preparation and 20 percent vacation".
Some of the methods described are : using the internet, magazines, books, libraries, travel agents. There is one tip in this section which I never would have thought of on how to find out more about your destination from a photographer's perspective. You will have to buy the book to find out what it is.

Chapter 4 describes how a good attitude makes good pictures.
Here the reader is informed on your need to understand the local
culture, language and customs of the people for the more productive pictures and avoid any potential problems.

Chapter 5 describes how to photograph the world once you
arrive at your destination. Examples include: what to shoot,
when to shoot it, how to shoot it, and what equipment to use.
This comprehensive chapter consists of 50 pages.

Chapter 6 describes how to manage your gear and your photos on the road. Emphasis is on proper backup of your digital photos and file naming suggestions.

Chapter 7 describes sharing your photos with the world. Many ideas from making prints to creating images for the web are discussed and what hardware and software to use.

Summary: Every level of photographer will benefit from reading this book whether you are planning a day trip within your area or a two week trip to another country. You will have a better and more productive photographic experience on your next trip.

Finally, if there is one suggestion I would make to the author
is to include a pullout cheat sheet which condenses/summarizes
the key points from each chapter to take along with you on your travels. Overall I highly recommend this book and the price of the book with an online discount makes it very reasonable and a very good value.